Miami Heat have recently reached an agreement with Chris Bosh to release him off the roster. With this movie, the Heat cleared over $25 million from their salary cap for the next season, and they will have over $40 million to work with in the free agency. One of the biggest free-agency targets will be Gordon Hayward, who is expected to opt out of his contract with the Utah Jazz and hit the free-agent market.
According to CBS, there are already whispers that the Heat could sign Hayward if the Jazz can't keep him. He is set to be paid $16.7 million next season with the Jazz, but there is no doubt that he is worth much more with the increased salary cap.
Miami is a great destination for any free agent and they have a team that works very hard to achieve positive results. If Gordon Hayward wants to win and improve himself at the same time, he should definitely consider the Miami Heat.
Hayward would fit perfectly in Miami
Miami Heat's weakest spot on the roster are their forwards. Since losing Chris Bosh, Luke Babbitt was mostly a starting power forward while rookie Rodney McGruder started at the small forward position. It is expected that Justice Winslow will be a starting small forward next season, but there is no doubt that Gordon Hayward is a much better option. With Hayward as a starter, the Heat could use James Johnson at the power forward position, if they resign him.
There are “whispers” that Gordon Hayward could head to Miami, per @NYDailyNews https://t.co/biJ7aNgSXE pic.twitter.com/mUcYvLWryt
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) March 30, 2017
On the other side, there is no doubt that Hayward would enjoy his time in Miami as well. He'd be playing for a team that has the winning culture and could achieve better results in the postseason than he has with the Utah Jazz so far in his career.
Hayward wouldn't turn the Heat into a championship contender, but he'd get them very close to the top and they could reach the conference finals with him on the team.
Is it realistic for the Heat to sign him?
Considering he'll be one of the top free agents this summer, Gordon Hayward will be wanted by many other NBA teams. Undoubtedly, the Heat will have a lot of competition and they may end up signing some other free agent.
Furthermore, the Heat will have to take care of their own free agents, such as Dion Waiters and James Johnson, before spending a lot on the free agent superstar.
However, Miami will definitely have enough money to spend on Hayward, and that could be a big factor. If Hayward wants to play for a winning team and get paid a lot at the same time, the Heat could be one of his top choices this summer.
